aged in barrel and finally in bottle for
anywhere from two to 50 years. Older ports
are characterized by the maple-like compound
sotolon and other sweetly aromatic
compounds, likely products of browning
reactions, which are also found in botrytized
wines and sherries.
Sherry Sherry is a fortified, oxidized white
wine that was developed in the Spanish port
city Jerez de la Frontera, whose name was
Anglicized to “sherry” around 1600. True
sherry gets its distinctive flavor from the
solera system of maturing wine, which was
developed early in the 19th century. The
solera is a series of casks, each initially
containing the fortified new wine of a
particular year, but not completely filled, so a
significant area of wine surface is in direct
contact with the air. The wine therefore
develops a characteristic intense, oxidized
flavor. As the cask contents evaporate and